Cattle-guard.



E. J. THOMAS.

CATTLE GUARD.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8,1909.

2 SHEETS-SEEHT 1.

UJITNEEEEE INLJEZN'T'CIF? .JTham awit;

ANDREW a, GRAHAM c0 PMDTULLITHOGRAPHERB;WASMHNGTON u c Patented May 3, 1910.

E. J. THOMAS. CATTLE GUARD.

AIPLIGATION FILED JUNE 8, 1909. 956,745. Patented May 3, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES, iNL/EZN'T'DF? EDWARD JAMES THOMAS, OF ELPHINSTONE, MANITOBA, CANADA.

CATTLE-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed .Tune 8, 1909.

Patented May 3, 1910.

Serial No. 500,949.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD JAivrns THOMAS, of the village of Elphinstone, 1n the Province of Manitoba, Canada, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Oattle-Gruards, of which the following is the specification. My invention relates to cattle guards, and the object of the invention is to provide a guard which will effectually prevent cattle or such like animals from passing along a track, such guard effecting this result without harm to the animals.

It consists essentially in a set of gates located to theside of the track and adapted to close across the track, and means for operating the gates and returning them to the inoperative position, the parts being arranged and constructed as hereinafter more particularly described.

Figure 1 is a detailed perspective view of a portion of the track showing my gates in the open position. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view in the plane denoted by the line X K, Fig. 3.. Fig. 3'is a plan view of one of the gates showing a portlon of the operatin mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlarged de tailed side elevation of the pinions employed to turn the gate.

In the drawings like characters of ref- Eren'ce indicate corresponding parts in each ure. 1 and 2 represent the usual track rails supported on the ties or sleepers 3.

4 is the usual fence post to the side of the roadway which crosses a railroad track, and 5 represents a fence.

3' and 3 are ties somewhat longer than the ties 3, such being especially provided for my guard.

6 and 7 are beams between the respective ends of the ties 3' and 3 and are secured firmly to them.

8 and 9 are similar angle plates firmly secured at 10 to the beams 6 and 7, said angle plates carrying horizontally and vertically irected bearings 11 and 12 which ap ear directly opposite each other at either s1 e of the track and are in alinement with the fence to either side of the track.

13 is a cross shaft having its ends mounted in the horizontally directed bearings 11,

said shaft being provided with segmental bevel pinions 14 and 15 at their ends adjoining the bearings.

16, 17 and 18 are longitudinallyextending boards forming a front platform, such boards being connected. by cross strips 19 and 20, and being located between the tracks 1 and 2. The rear end of the platform rests on one of the cross ties 3, and the forward end is supplied with vertically extending brackets 21 which are connected pivotally to horizontal arms 22 which pass rearwardly from sleeves 23 adjustably secured to the shaft 13 by set screws 24 so that when pressure is brought to bear on the upper face of the platform its forward end will tend to pass downwardly.

25 is a rear platform appearing between the tracks and immediately behind the platform before mentioned.

26 are longitudinally extending bars secured rearwardly to the sides of the plat form 25 and forwardly to the horizontally directed arms 27 which extend also from the sleeves 23 hereinbefore mentioned. It is to be noticed that the forward ends of the bars 26 are curved or bent downwardly at 26.

28 is a cross rod secured to the under face of the forward platform by straps 29 said shaft being supplied at its ends with rollers 30 which operate within slots 31 formed in the bars 26.

33 and 34 are plates appearing at either side of the tracks 1 and 2 and'directly opposite the forward platform, to which they are secured by means of bars 35 which pass be neath the rails.

36 are vertically directed shafts having their lower ends rotatably received within the vertically directed bearings 12 hereinbefore mentioned. The shafts 36 have secured to their lower ends bevel pinions 37 which mesh with the segmental bevel pinions 14 and 15. The shafts 36 carry gates 38 which are adapted to open and close according as the shaft is rotated. Each gate has a portion 39 extending at right angles therefrom which is adapted to close the opening between the respective shafts 36 and the posts 4.- when the gates are in the open position.

In order that the gates may be removed I have made the shafts square in cross section and have secured straps 40 to the gates so that it is only necessary to raise the gates to remove them.

41 are sprin s coiled around the lower ends of the sha ts 36 and having their ends secured to the gates at 4:2 and to the beams 6 and 7 at 43, the tendency of such springs being to continuously force the gates open, that is, to bring them to the position shown in Fig. 1.

The operation of the guard is as now described. When an animal passing along the track steps on the rear platform 25 it is depressed and has a tendency to turn on the rollers 30 thereby raising the forward ends of the bars 26 and rotating the shaft 13 in a direction which causes the segmental pinions 14 to close the gates across the track through the operation of the gears 37. At the same time the rollers are depressed and carry with them the forward platform which forces the arms 22 downwardly and assists inthe action of turning the gates. In eventjof an animal passing across the tracks and stepping on the forward platform it is depressed by the animals weight and the gates are closed across the track, the shaft being rotated by the arms 22. In both instances as soon as the animal passes from the platforms the gates are immediately thrown to the open position by the springs. In order to avoid any serious consequences in event of the gates not returning to the open position after having been closed I have made the pinions 14 and 1 5 segmental so that they will escape from the gear wheels 37. If the gates were to be hit with "a train they would turn freely as soon as the pinions 37 were freed from the pinions 14 and 1-5.

I have constructed the guard so that it can be readily taken apart and stored when it is not required, it bein only necessary to slip the gates eff the sha s "and remove the shafts from the bearings, the remaining part of the guard being free to be removed as soon as the bolts holding the angle plates 8 and 9 are removed.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a cattle guard, the combination with a suitably mounted cross shaft located beneath the rails of a track, said shaft being designed to actuate an opposing set of gates to obstruct passage along the track, of a forward depressible platform adapted when depressed to rotate the shaft, and a rear depressible platform having bars extending therefrom and secured forwardly through arms with the shaft, a cross rod carried by the forward platform, and rollers located at the ends of the rod and operating within slots provided in the bars, as and for the purpose specified.

' 2. In a cattle guard adapted to obstruct passage along the track, the combination with a suitably mounted cross shaft located beneath the rails of the track, said cross shaft being adapted to operate opposing gates located to the sides of the track, of adjustable sleeves secured to the shaft and having arms extending from the opposite-sides thereof, a front platform supported forw'ardly 'by brackets from one set of arms and resting rearwardly on one of the ties'snpporting the rails, a rear platform having forwardly extending bars secured thereto, said bars having. their free ends turned downwardly and 'pivotally secured to the remain ing pair of arms, a cross rod secured to thefront platform and having rollers at the ends thereof, said rollers operating within slots formed in the bars, as and for the pur pose specified. Signed at Russell, in the Province of Manitoba, this sixth day of May 1-909.

EDWARD JAMES THOMAS.

In the resence of- A. Tirrennr, OHARnEs HOLBECH. 

